The UL Ragin’ Cajuns stand at 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt play at the season’s halfway point.
With the second half starting with a huge home game against Troy at 4 p.m. Saturday, how much do we really know about these Cajuns?
The answer is not a lot.
After four games, the coaching staff seemed fairly convinced this was a good defensive team capable of carrying UL through some rough patches.
Two games later, this isn’t the same defense. First, linebacker Conor McPherson was lost for the season and then safety Collin Jacob broke his arm.
The offense had to bail out the Cajuns in the second half to beat Arkansas State, and then the defense gave up 28 first downs and 485 total yards in a 32-31 road loss to Louisiana Tech.
If not for the two forced fumbles that nearly pushed UL to a huge victory, the defense would have likely yielded well over 500 yards and 40-plus points.
Is it possible most of the teams left on the schedule aren’t as good as Tech? Certainly, but that’s not something a team should count on.
There’s still every reason to believe the defense is strong against the run. Micah Johnson has played well at linebacker, but the pass defense is now a question mark.
The offense tried to bail out the Cajuns against Saturday by putting up 31 points against a Louisiana Tech defense that was hailed as the Bulldogs’ strength. Tech’s one weakness on defense is giving up the big play, and UL capitalized with four huge plays in the passing game to build a 31-19 lead with 11:34 left.
Typically, protecting leads in the fourth quarter is more about running the ball and trying to make a stop on defense than bombs away.
In this situation, throwing deep had the best chance of success. That’s quite a pickle for a play-caller, though, because most bombs are low-percentage throws, and the passing game was having efficiency issues for the first time all season.
The question is whether the offense is better as a pass-first unit or heavy on the ground game.
In 2024, it was about eating clock and controlling the game with precise execution on offense.
That’s what it was in the second half against Arkansas State, but it was a completely different scenario in Ruston, where big plays were a necessity.
When the defense, instead of the offensive line, dictates strategy, it’s tricky. That’s where the Cajuns are these days.
The good news is receiver Shelton Sampson played a bigger role on Saturday after battling an injury all season. If he can continue to progress, that’ll help.
Being able to use the tight ends more as receivers than blockers would help as well.
“The first play of the game (on offense) was a shot to the tight ends,” Desormeaux said on tight end usage in Ruston. “We didn’t space it very well, which is disappointing because we had one in the seam. Later on, we took a sack where I thought we should have gotten the ball out to the tight end down the sideline. But I mean, sometimes that’s just the way it goes.
“I knew they’d be critical in the run game, but we certainly had looks to get them the ball down the field a little bit. It just didn’t turn out that way.”
If running back JJ Garner can get more consistent, his big-play ability can make the offense more explosive.
The good news is the special teams outperformed Tech on Saturday, so hopefully that’s a sign that critical phase is headed in the right direction.
The Cajuns were one play away from a huge road win at Louisiana Tech, despite two of their best performers playing their worst game of the season.
Chances are, standouts such as quarterback Lunch Winfield and cornerback Brent Gordon have too good of a track record to not respond in a big way, which could provide more solutions.
“He’s the ultimate leader,” Desormeaux said of Winfield. “Did he play his best game? No, he didn’t. Did he miss some things, leave some things? Yes, absolutely. But those are things that we talk about in detail in private.
“You know, the best thing about a guy like him coming off of a bad game is the response we’re going to get. That’s what I’m excited to see.”
A rebound win against Troy on Saturday should get the Cajuns back on track, especially if an improved pass defense and/or rushing offense can be displayed.
Knowing exactly what you are about makes game-management decisions less complicated. Changing courses during the season can get too complicated.
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